How you workout has a huge effect on how your body looks. Going through the motions will get you a body that looks like it has been "going through the motions". Here are some tips on how to workout if you goal is to maximize lean muscle and minimize body fat.

The absolute best training system uses heavy weight/low to medium rep sets to build muscle thickness and high rep/heaviest weight possible sets to build cardiovascular density (building the size and number of blood vessels). When your circulatory network is increased, more nutrients get carried to the muscles and toxins are effectively transported away. This process results in muscular growth. The greater your cardiovascular density, the larger the muscle can become. So be sure that you include high rep sets in your workouts, especially if you are trying to get the muscle to grow.(1)

Don Parrillo pretty much developed an advanced method of stretching call Fascial Stretching. It involves stretching between each exercise set when the muscle is fully pumped. Fascial stretching stretches the fascial sheath that covers the muscle and leads to greater mass, muscularity, and muscular separations. Fascial stretching should be done aggressively, but only if the muscle if fully pumped. Partner assisted stretches can also help perform these stretches more effectively.(1)

Perform cardiovascular/aerobic training to supplement your resistance training program. Aerobic exercise enhances recovery and it builds cardiovascular density mentioned earlier. Aerobic exercise can also accelerate fat-burning. For fat burning purposes, it is best to perform cardiovascular/aerobic activity in the morning before breakfast (immediately upon waking) or right after a resistance training workout. At these two times, your body is low on glycogen (carb stores) and it will draw upon fatty acids for energy (due to the absence of glycogen). As a result, more body fat is burned. (1)

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Mike Phelps is a Certified Personal Trainer and competitive bodybuilder in the NPC (National Physique Committee). Mike won the 2011 Alabama Bodybuilding State Championships in August of 2011. This overall win in the men's open class gave Mike the title of "Mr. Alabama". Mike specializes in body sculpting and fat loss and is considered an authority on how to train to get the body you want. Mike has over 25 years of experience in the fitness industry and currently personal trains full time and also helps people get ready for physique contest competitions.